Visa & Mastercard and AI shopping
In recent months, we have witnessed major changes in the field of digital payments. The world’s biggest players – Mastercard, Visa and PayPal – introduced new technologies in spring 2025 that have the potential to transform the way we shop and pay. The key term here is “agentic commerce” – shopping through artificial intelligence that acts on behalf of the user. What does this mean in practice, what are the major payment platforms targeting with this direction, and when will these innovations reach us in the Czech Republic?
When and where did the innovations appear?
The first sign was an April press release from Mastercard, which introduced Agent Pay technology. It enables so-called “agentic” AI systems – such as smart assistants or shopping bots – to make payments on behalf of the user. Mastercard introduced this innovation at a global conference in New York and announced that the first pilot projects would run in the USA and the United Kingdom in the second half of 2025. Visa was not left behind and at the end of April 2025 announced its own AI platform for “agentic shopping”. It will allow customers to use AI assistants capable of searching for products, comparing prices, recommending purchases and paying for them directly – all automatically and securely. Visa presented its solution at a conference in San Francisco and plans to expand it to other regions during the year. Finally, PayPal joined in as well, introducing an open platform for developers and AI companies at its “Dev Days” event in San Jose. The goal is to enable the integration of payment functions into various AI agents and applications that will be able to shop and pay independently on behalf of users.
What are these companies up to?
The main goal of these innovations is to simplify and automate the shopping process. The vision is clear: in the near future, we will no longer have to search for products ourselves, compare prices or enter payment details. Instead, we will give our AI assistant a task – for example, “buy me new running shoes for up to CZK 2,000” – and the agent will take care of everything. From selecting the product and comparing offers to making a secure payment. Payment platforms are responding to the growing popularity of AI assistants and chatbots, which are becoming a common part of online shopping. Mastercard, Visa and PayPal want to be ready for a time when most transactions will take place through these “digital agents”. At the same time, they are emphasizing security and control – users will be able to set limits, approve transactions and monitor their purchase history. Another goal is to increase customer loyalty and offer new services to merchants. Thanks to AI, companies will be able to target offers more effectively, personalize discounts and simplify the entire shopping process.
Will we see it in the Czech Republic too?
While the first pilot projects are running in the USA and the United Kingdom, expansion into Europe is, according to all three companies, a matter of the coming months to years. Mastercard and Visa plan to expand their AI payment technologies to other countries in 2026, with the Czech Republic being one of the candidates for early adoption thanks to its high penetration of contactless payments and openness to new technologies. PayPal already allows Czech developers to participate in testing new AI features, and it is expected that as European legislation in the field of AI and digital payments develops, these services will also become available to Czech customers.
The year 2025 is a turning point in the field of digital payments. Mastercard, Visa and PayPal are betting on AI and agentic shopping as a key trend of the future. For users, this means more convenient, faster and safer shopping; for merchants, new ways to reach customers. And although we will have to wait a little longer for the full use of these technologies in the Czech Republic, it is clear that the era of AI shopping is already just around the corner.
